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PRESS TV

The UN refugees agency says last month's fighting between Somali government troops and fighters has claimed almost 260 civilian lives.

The agency added that January had been deadliest month in Somalia since August 2009.

"Violence in Somalia sharply escalated in January, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths and widespread destruction," UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic said Tuesday.

Last month's clashes, which broke out over the control of the country's central regions, have also wounded 253 people and displaced over 80,000 Somalis.

Some 18,000 fled their homes in the capital city of Mogadishu, the UNHCR said.

The agency added that Somalis were now suffering the worst humanitarian crisis in 18 years of almost uninterrupted civil strife in the face of insufficient aid hampered by "the deteriorating security conditions."

The year-old government of Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has been battling two militant groups since May.

The two groups have vowed to topple Ahmed, launching relentless attacks aimed at seizing control of the capital and parts of central and southern Somalia.